Sn3 RGS First District: Construction Update #27 - Structures for Placerville, the Ridgway Backdrop, RGS #41 & #42 & the Chama Lube House

McCarville Studios Placerville Barn at the Wye

May 13, 2024

I am really pleased with the way the Placerville barn turned out. Unfortunately, I don't think I am going to be able to use it on the layout; it's too large for the proposed location. My decision to build the kit was based upon a couple of photographs where the barn appeared to be smaller, especially in terms of height, than it actually was. But, it is a pretty generic structure so I am pretty sure it will find a home somewhere else on the layout.

Builder's In Scale Shingles were used on the roof instead of the ones provided with the kit and Wild West corrugated metal roofing was used above the door. Some additional trim was added on the ends and the loft hoist was left off.

All the components where initially stained with Builders In Scale "Silverwood"; I thought the stain would give the barn an old weathered look. Unfortunately, with the milled siding, the transparent stain was a mistake. It accentuated the size and pattern of the grain which unrealistically carried over form one board to another. Miraculously, the Bragdon powdered pigments transformed a potential disaster into a pretty cool structure. The powdered pigments partially filled in and covered up the unrealistic patterns in the wood. Three colors, light gray, brown and medium rust were applied in multiple layers. Since a sealer would tend to dissolve the pigments and re-expose the oversized grain, one wasn't used. Unlike chalks, powdered paint pigments tend to stay in place without a sealer.

The Placerville Cafe-Bar

September 17, 2024

The Placerville Cafe-Bar is ready to go on the layout. The cafe-bar is a cool structure but I struggled a bit with this kit and I think the end results show it. It looks okay but I am not satisfied with how the roof turned out even though I changed out the shingles for ones I thought would look better; they didn't. The thickness of the MDF and the angles involved left gaps between the six individual panels that make up the roof was also a problem. I should have filled the gaps, I didn't! In hindsight I should have also changed out the corner trim, for a thinner material, and swapped out the posts supporting the porch overhang for something a bit smaller. These changes don't mean the materials in the kit are incorrect, they just reflect my personal preferences.

My kit did have a problem with the hole in the roof for the chimney. It is to large or the chimney is to small. I solved this problem by wrapping the base of the chimney with .040" styrene. A better solution would have been to reduce the size of the hole by gluing some strip wood into the opening before applying the shingles. Unfortunately, I didn't realize there was a problem until after I had applied the shingles. The wrapped version is not a perfect solution but I suspect the result will improve with weathering. I let Mike, from McCarville Studios, know about this problem so I suspect future kit builders won't face this issue.

So here is the finished product. As previously stated "A pretty cool model of a interesting prototype".

And here are the cafe-bar, gas station and a few trees temporarily set in place. Before I can permanently set them in place and scenic around them, I need to figure out how I am going to fill out the hill in the background.

The Ridgway Backdrop

The Ridgway backdrop was created by Dale Krutzer and printed by Dave Wike. It is 18" tall and 26' long.

RGS #41 and #42 Projects

I recently acquired a couple of RGS 2-8-0's at very good prices. They are my next up on my "to do" list.

The #41 is ex Copper River & Yukon #31, It is a later run model with the correct cab height and window. I got it in pieces, as shown, due to a problem with the sound system. In addition to replacing the sound with a Tsunami2 and adding a current keeper it needs to have the headlight casting replaced and and then be re-lettered for the RGS. All Copper & River Yukon locomotives had their original headlights swapped out for the one shown on the locomotive. If anyone wants an "authentic" Copper River & Yukon locomotive, then I would be willing to trade this model for another RGS #41 with the correct cab and windows. I don't have the original box.

The #42 was acquired with a damaged tender; it appeared to have been dropped. My friend Glenn Farley worked his wonders and made the repair in about 10 minutes. I matched the Foreground model weathering with a little Scalecoat "Dark Lark Gray". Part of the coal load was also missing when I got the model and it needs a current keeper.

The Chama Lube House

September 18, 2024

There were several posts on the Sn3 Group concerning the Chama Lube House kit from P-B-L I built the kit a couple of years ago when I was just getting back into Sn3. The kit easily builds into an excellent representation of the prototype. It's a "signature" structure on the D&RGW so it really doesn't fit for the RGS. But maybe...